Bad Blood
by d0ntbleenk
Summary: When Cora is put in the hospital, Isaac goes crazy trying to save her... But what if she can't be saved? Cora/Isaac. AU. Read at your own discretion.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Over on my Tumblr, I've been getting a lot of prompts lately and one in particular made me want to write something a little longer than a drabble. That prompt was: "Cora has a weird illness courtesy of the Dark Druid. Forcing her in a awful state that the even her super werewolf healing powers can't heal. Isaac goes crazy to find a way to save her." Here's what I came up with. xx**_

* * *

**Chapter One - Darkness**

She sat on the floor between the bathtub and the toilet, her forehead resting against the cool porcelain as she held her eyes closed and tried to focus on breathing. In, out, in — there was a light knock at the bathroom door, and she winced, not making a move to get up.

The knock came again, slightly louder this time. "Cora? Are you okay?" It was Isaac. She took a deep breath, but when she opened her mouth, she found it was dry as cotton. How long had she been sitting there?

"Cora, come on," she heard him say, the strain in his voice indicating that he was worried. "You've been in there for hours."

_Hours? _That couldn't be right.

She braced herself on the edge of the bathtub and pushed herself to her feet, the feat much more difficult that it should have been, her body feeling like it was full of lead. She leaned against the sink, her dull brown eyes meeting the ones in the mirror as she took in her appearance. Her eyes took in the sheet white tone of her skin, the dark circles under her eyes, and the way her hair hung limp and lifeless around her face; this person did not look like her at all.

The knocking came again, harder still. "Cora, this isn't funny."

"I -" the brunette tried to say, but then she started to cough, so violently that she was doubled over in the sink, clutching her side with the other hand covering her mouth.

When she pulled it away, though, she found her palm covered in blood so dark it was almost black. Cora quickly turned on the water, rinsing off her hand and the sink, watching the blood swirl down the drain and out of sight. But the image was still burned to her mind.

Hands shaking, she pulled her hair back into a ponytail, looking away from her reflection towards the door. Maybe Isaac wouldn't notice that anything was off — maybe no one would.

She took a deep breath and opened the door, catching the young beta mid-knock. "I'm fine," Cora told him simply. "I just -"

"You don't look fine," Isaac replied, his hand cupping her face. He frowned. "And you're burning up."

"Well, I'm a werewolf, remember?"

"Yeah, but… this is different," he said, the concern clouding his eyes more pronounced now. She tried to move past him, but he only blocked her path. His eyes flickered past her into the bathroom. "What were you doing in there?"

"Taking a shower."

Isaac shook his head. "I didn't hear any water running. Except towards the end, but that was the sink…"

"You know, listening in on other people's privacy is rude." Cora shot back, shoving past him roughly. She stalked off down the hall in the direction of her bedroom, but he only followed.

"I'm just trying to help you," he shouted after her, even though he knew she'd be able to hear him even if he hadn't. He caught up with her in a few strides, his hand catching her arm before she could disappear into her room. "Whatever is going on with you… I don't like it."

"Well no one said you had to," she snapped, before coughing again into the sleeve of her sweatshirt. It came away red.

This was not lost on Isaac. "What was that?"

"Nothing. Now let go of me, Isaac."

"Make me," he told her, his eyes steady on hers. She set her jaw, knowing that he knew she was a lot weaker than usual. On any other day, she could pull her arm out of his grasp _and_ knock him to the floor in one swift motion. But something had changed. Something was wrong.

And he could see it.

After a long moment of glaring at each other, his grip on her arm loosened and she pulled away, moving towards her room. He watched her walk away, half wanting to demand her to tell him what was going on, and half knowing she probably shouldn't be alone. But he couldn't move.

All he could see was the blood on her sleeve.

Cora stopped in the doorway, pressing her lips together as she turned and looked at him once more. "Please don't tell Derek," was all she said, before disappearing into her room.

But Isaac couldn't bring himself to nod.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two - Attention**

"_Will you two quit staring at me?_ I said I'm fine."

Isaac and Derek exchanged a look from where they stood at the edge of the room. Boyd had had other commitments, so — despite the fact that her brother had kicked Isaac out two weeks ago — it was just the three of them today for training.

While he still had his reservations, even Isaac couldn't help but notice that she did look much healthier than she had the night before. There was color in her cheeks and she was doing the same things that she always did during their sessions like nothing had changed.

Isaac walked over to her, his voice lowering. "You don't have to do this, you know," he told her. "You're pushing yourself too hard."

"That's not really for you to decide," Cora shot back, walking over to the table where she'd left her water bottle. Isaac followed her; she rolled her eyes.

"Maybe not," he replied. "But _he_ didn't see what you looked like last night -"

Cora narrowed her eyes at him. "And he can probably hear every word you're saying right now. Drop it, Isaac, before I drop _you_." She popped open her water with her teeth and took a long swig, looking away from the boy hovering a few inches in front of her.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"What part of _I'm fine_ didn't you get?"

Isaac clenched his teeth, knowing that arguing with her would get him nowhere fast. His temper flared and, as she tried to walk away, he caught her arm just above the elbow. Cora was ready this time, though, and she shoved him off, only to have him wrap his hands around her wrists instead, twisting her around so that her back was pressed against his front. She growled and struggled to get free.

"Alright, if you two are done flirting," Derek announced, stepping into Cora's line of sight, "maybe we can get on with today's training session."

"We've been doing this for an hour now. Maybe it's time to call it a day," Isaac suggested, releasing the brunette.

She shot him a look. "No way." Cora said firmly, looking from one person to the other. "We've got to prepare. The alpha pack is too strong, even more so since they've lost Ennis. If we don't train, we can't win."

Derek was silent for a second, taking in everything that his sister was saying. Isaac just stared at him, urging him with his eyes not to agree with her. He hadn't told him what was up with her, but he could see that something was off with her. Why didn't he want to protect her?

"She's right," the alpha finally said. Isaac opened his mouth to protest, but he just went on, "Plus we have the Darach to deal with. We don't know who it is or what it wants, so we need to be prepared for that, too."

"Are you serious -"

"Can you shut your mouth for two seconds?" Cora shot at Isaac, looking very annoyed at this point. But it wasn't her harsh tone that made him stop.

He frowned. "Cora… your nose."

Her eyebrows furrowed and she quickly swiped under her nose, her hand coming away red once more. "Oh God," she breathed, wiping again only to find that the flow of blood hadn't stopped. Holding a hand over her nose, she ran from the room, her brother calling after her.

"It's just a nose bleed," Derek pointed out. "Right?"

Isaac shook his head, running after Cora down the hallway.

He slid to a halt in front of the open door to the bathroom. "Cora?" She was lying on the floor, unconscious. "CORA!" He knelt down next to her, shaking her a little, trying to get her to wake up, but she wouldn't stir. He cradled her in his lap, his hands shaking. "Cora, please - DEREK! CALL AN AMBULANCE!"

—

When she came to again, she had a splitting headache and had no idea where she was. Cora pressed a hand to her head, using the other to try and push herself into a sitting position. "Whoa, take it easy."

She looked over just as Isaac was rising from the chair next to her bed — a bed that wasn't her own. Her eyes followed the wires that extended from her arm to a machine a few feet to her right and her heart beat picked up in a panic.

"Isaac… what — am I in _a hospital_?"

The young beta ran a hand through his hair and nodded. "Yeah," he told her; he looked tired, almost like he hadn't slept in days. "I told Derek to call an ambulance because you passed out and hit your head pretty bad on the way down. Your head's healed now but…"

Cora pushed herself up, her gaze steady on his. "But _what_, Isaac?"

He didn't have a chance to respond because a moment later the door to her room opened and three people entered - Derek, Scott, and a doctor.

The doctor — Dr. Williams — stood on the opposite side of the bed to Isaac, looking through the papers on his clipboard. "Okay, Miss Hale. Your head looks like it has fully healed in record time, but there were some other health complications that we looked into."

"Health complications?" Cora paled, glancing at Isaac. He wasn't looking at her.

"Yes. We found unusually high concentrations of _Viscum album_ in your system." Dr. Williams explained, looking at Cora directly now. She looked confused.

Scott's brows furrowed. "_Viscum album_? That's -"

"Mistletoe." Isaac finished quietly.

"Besides that," the doctor went on, "we're still looking into what's been causing your illness. You may have to stay another day or two, just for observation." He smiled then, clearly trying to be reassuring as he slid his pen into the pocket of his coat. "Try to get some rest."

And then he left the room again, leaving the four of them alone. Cora looked horrified now. "_Mistletoe_?"

"Someone must have poisoned you somehow," Derek said, folding his arms and leaning against the wall across from her bed. Scott was shaking his head.

"No, not _someone_. It had to have been the Darach. Haven't you been listening to Stiles? The druids used mistletoe as a part of their rituals."

"So…" Isaac started, a look of concentration on his face. "Maybe this thing is trying to get our attention."

Cora scoffed. "Yeah, well he definitely has it. But why? Why us, why me? What does it want?"

Derek shook his head. "I told you: we don't know."

"But we're going to find out," Isaac assured her, his hand covering hers on top of the covers of her bed, his eyes suddenly dark and determined.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three - Deterioration**

Cora rolled over onto her other side, wincing slightly at how sore her body had become. They were pretty sure that it was just the mistletoe messing with her immune system, but the doctors didn't know that. They didn't know anything about werewolves or how their bodies worked, so they were more convinced that there was something else eating away at her.

Her eyes opened and she couldn't help but smile at the sight of Isaac curled up in the armchair next to her bed, his long legs falling over the side and his head propped up on one hand with his eyes closed.

She wondered how long he'd been there — she'd assumed he'd left with the others, but it was nice to know she wasn't alone. Just the thought of being alone made her shiver — how had the Darach gotten the mistletoe in her system? It just didn't make any sense…

"You look like shit," Isaac told her with a yawn, stretching his arms out wide as he straightened up in his chair.

"That's an insult to shit," Cora responded with a weak smile. "But yeah, I know. I'm the one with ridiculous amounts of mistletoe in my system, remember?"

Isaac rested his forearms on his knees, his expression softening. "Yeah, I remember," he said, looking somber. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," she admitted with a sigh. "I miss my bed."

"Well once your body filters out the mistletoe, you'll be good as new and they won't have any reason to keep you here anymore," Isaac explained, his eyes gleaming with positive energy.

But she wasn't as easily convinced.

"What if the Darach… or whatever… what if it doesn't want me to get better?"

"Hey, don't say that," Isaac said sharply, his eyebrows pulling together as he sat forward in his seat. He took a deep breath, shaking his head as he brushed her hair out of her face gently. "This will pass. You're going to get better. I promise."

Cora chuckled softly, her eyes sad. "You shouldn't make promises you can't keep."

"What if I told you I didn't want to lose you?"

"Doesn't really matter what you _want_, now does it?" Cora replied, her eyes meeting his then.

Isaac pulled his hand back, frowning. "You can be really stubborn, you know that?" He didn't realize how angry he'd become until he felt his skin warming suddenly.

"No," she told him simply. "I'm just being realistic, Isaac. We don't know what this thing wants, or what it's capable of — besides the fact that it's put me, a _werewolf_, in the hospital for more than a couple of hours." Cora sighed. "It's hard to be positive when you think of that. Derek would understand that."

"Well then maybe _Derek_ should've been the one to be here when you woke up," Isaac said flatly, standing up and grabbing his jacket.

—

"Look who finally decided to show up," said Stiles as Isaac slid into his seat in first period the next day.

He frowned, dropping his backpack onto the floor at his feet. "What are you talking about?"

Stiles shrugged. "You've only been glued to the chair at Cora's bedside for the past four days. We were all taking bets on whether or not you'd just drop out completely," he explained with a laugh.

"Doesn't seem like anyone would miss me if I did," Isaac muttered, taking out his textbook just as the bell rang and Ms. Blake walked in the room.

He knew he was supposed to be annoyed with Cora for not having any hope that she was going to be okay, but he still couldn't stop thinking of her. He couldn't help but wonder if she was, in fact, just getting worse as the hours went by, and he started to panic when he realized that he would not be the first to know of any changes in her condition because he wasn't there by her side.

Isaac didn't know how tense he was until he heard his name being called, and saw Ms. Blake standing next to his desk — which he was now gripping so tightly there were nail marks in the wood when he released it.

"Isaac?" Ms. Blake said again, a look of concern on her face.

He blinked and looked up at her. "Yeah… I-I'm sorry - uh - what was the question again?"

She repeated the question and after he stumbled through the answer, she moved on down the aisle. Isaac ran a shaky hand through his hair, seeing Scott staring at him out of the corner of his eye. He didn't look over, though, not wanting to answer the question he would surely ask.

He shouldn't have cared so much about one person, but he couldn't help it. Isaac's eyes lifted to the clock on the wall at the front of the room, counting down until he could see her again, until he could make sure she was still doing okay.

Three o'clock couldn't come fast enough.

—

The scene he walked in was not what he was expecting. Isaac saw a nurse changing the sheets of Cora's empty bed, and the sounds of someone vomiting behind the closed door of her bathroom. And just moments after he'd walked in, he was being shoved back out the door, hands fisting tightly in his shirt.

"Derek, what -"

"_You told me you would keep an eye on her!_"

"I was at school!" Isaac shot back, his eyes flickering over the alpha's shoulder into Cora's room, the look on his face pained. It was a stupid excuse, considering he'd skipped the last four days of school to sleep in the chair next to her bed.

"Well she's getting worse," Derek told him, sighing as he released the younger man.

All the breath left Isaac at that very moment; those were the exact words he hadn't wanted to hear. He leaned back against the wall, his hands in his hair as he shook his head. "No. No, she can't be."

"They ran some tests and the results just got back today," he went on. "The mistletoe has shut her advanced healing down completely, and on top of that her immune system has stopped functioning normally, leaving her body completely vulnerable to… well, anything." Derek swallowed hard, keeping his voice steady. "It's… well, it's not looking good for her."

Isaac pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes until he started seeing spots, breathing hard and fast out of a small part in his lips. He didn't want to hear this.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

She was _supposed_ to be okay.

All of that talk about being positive and calling her stubborn… she wasn't supposed to be right. On top of everything - the alphas threatening their pack, the unexplained murders - he couldn't possibly deal with this, too. He couldn't breathe.

"Isaac -" Derek reached out to touch his shoulder, but the beta just shook him off, storming away down the hall without hearing another word.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four - Alone**

The weeks following the news were especially grim for Isaac. He didn't even stop to think that maybe the Hales themselves had it harder than him — he just took the weight of it all on his own shoulders, and his mind refused to let him think of anything but the words Derek had told him.

Days passed, then weeks — weeks without school, without human contact; just him lying idly in his bed, turning off his phone and shutting his eyes to block the world out. He didn't even go to the hospital, not when there was a chance that she could die.

Not when he'd lost so many people already. His father, his brother, his mother… they were all gone now, and he'd only ever felt alone until he met her. Cora Hale. The girl with all the sass and spunk in the world; a girl he'd never thought he'd stand a chance with.

And yet, in light of all of their problems, she _had_ given him a chance. She had made him forget his loneliness.

Until now.

Isaac opened his eyes and thought of her strength, realizing that he needed to be strong for her now. This wasn't about him, or the people that he'd lost — it was about _her_.

Maybe it wasn't enough just to want her to get better, but he needed to show her that he wasn't as scared as he felt.

—

Despite the fact that it was past visiting hours for non-family members, Isaac found his way to her room easily. He got there just as a nurse - probably doing a routine checkup - was leaving, slipping into the room just as she was shutting the door.

He froze, standing just inside the room, his eyes meeting Cora's. In the whole trip there, he hadn't thought about how long it had been since he'd last seen her.

"It's about time," she said finally, breaking the silence that hung between them. Cora leaned against the pillows that were propped up against her headboard, quirking an eyebrow. "How did you get in? It's past visiting hours."

"I told the lady at the reception desk that it was urgent…" Isaac explained as he walked towards her, "…and that I was your husband."

Cora managed a small laugh. "Derek won't be happy about that."

Isaac shrugged a shoulder, stopping next to the bed. "Derek's got bigger problems," he replied. She looked away and nodded, fiddling with her hands in her lap. "I'm sorry about what I said. It was out of line."

"Isaac, you don't have to -"

"Yes, I do." He insisted, frowning as he shook his head. "I should've been here. I should've -"

"There's not a lot else you could've done, believe me," Cora told him, her hand finding his then as she looked up again. "But you don't have to apologize. I mean, yeah, it's been a long couple of weeks, but the doctors… they're optimistic."

Something in Isaac's face changed then. "What?"

Cora chuckled, rolling her eyes. "You really have missed a lot," she said. "Well, since the only thing that seems to be affecting me is the mistletoe in my system, none of the common illnesses line up. They think that if it filters out, in time I'll get better on my own."

"And if it doesn't?" Isaac couldn't help but ask. Somehow, they had switched roles - Cora was the one with hope and he was far from optimistic.

"_Isaac_ -"

"Are they really just leaving all this up to chance?" He sounded angry again. Cora pressed her lips together, not flinching or shying away from him as his voice got louder and more firm. "Because they can't do that. They can't - doctors are supposed to help people, not wait around for them to _die_."

Cora sucked in a sharp breath on the last word, tears stinging at her eyes then. Sure, she'd thought that maybe, just maybe things wouldn't end well for her, but that was the first time anyone had said it out loud.

That she might die.

Isaac took a deep breath and tried to compose himself, sitting down next to her on the bed. He put his head in his hands, focusing on his breathing for a long moment. Cora just stared at him, wondering what he was thinking now.

Wondering why it meant so much to him that she lived.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I shouldn't have said that. It's just… the last time a doctor told me there was nothing they could do, I lost my brother." Isaac exhaled deeply, shaking his head before looking over at her. "I can't lose anyone else."

Cora found herself nodding, and before she could stop herself, she was leaning forward and her mouth was against his. He cupped her face by way of steadying himself, but once he responded to the kiss, his thumb brushed across her cheek in a caress and he felt himself relax for the first time in what felt like ages.

"Everything's going to be okay," Cora murmured when they broke apart, her fingers lacing through his.

Their foreheads were pressed together, but Isaac's eyes were on their hands. He wanted to agree with her, to believe that things would really get better. But maybe she was right.

Maybe that wasn't enough.

She could see the worry on his face, so deeply engraved that it didn't seem unnatural anymore. She tugged lightly at their entwined hands, urging him to climb onto the bed next to her. He obliged, wrapping an arm around her and letting her rest her head against his chest as he inhaled deeply. "You don't believe me, do you?" she asked softly.

"I want to," he admitted. "But we can't know anything for sure. Not when the Darach is still out there… not when we know it's trying to hurt you."

"What if it's not just me?"

Isaac shifted so that he was looking down at her then, a look of confusion replacing the worry. "What do you mean?" He asked, although he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Cora was silent for a long moment. "I saw someone else get carted in the other day. A boy. He was pale and in a lot of pain… I think I recognized him." She shook her head. "Before Deucalion found me, I went through the foster system for a while and between families, I met a kid that had been born with the werewolf gene." Cora looked up at him. "What if I'm not the only one the Darach is after? What if… what if this is just another one of those sacrifices?"

"But it's not three-fold," Isaac pointed out, his eyebrows pulling together.

"Not yet," she said quietly. "Maybe since we're werewolves it's just trying to weaken us first, before attacking. Maybe -"

"No."

"But -"

"_No_," he repeated, this time his voice more firm. "But if that _were_ true, I wouldn't let that thing get anywhere near you. Even if I had to sleep right here every night until you got better and it was forced to move on."

Cora shifted closer to him, wrapping her arm around his middle. "Well, I wouldn't be against that," she told him tiredly, a yawn following shortly afterward.

"Try to get some sleep," Isaac said. He didn't have to ask twice; she was out in a matter of minutes, but he just stared up at the ceiling. Once again, she had a point.

But this time he didn't want her to be right.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five - Pieces**

Isaac yawned wide, holding his styrofoam cup of coffee in one hand while the other rubbed his tired eyes as he headed back towards Cora's room. He hadn't been able to sleep at all - his mind was running wild with ideas and thoughts of her dying - so he had just stayed up and watched her as she slept. With a brief glance at his phone when he'd gotten up, he was glad he hadn't had it on for the last couple of weeks.

He was surprised that Scott's mom hadn't run into him yet and chewed him out for all the school he'd missed. But the forty-three missed calls indicated that she wanted to.

When he turned the corner to the hall where Cora's room was located, Isaac stopped in his tracks, his eyes falling on a single figure standing outside. He was broad-shouldered and carried a cane.

"Deucalion," Isaac said as he approached him, his voice tight. "What do you want?"

"Who says I want anything?" The alpha responded coolly. "I merely came to check up on our mutual friend. It's a shame, really, what's happening to her."

It was all Isaac could do not to crush his cup in his hand. "Cora's _not_ your friend." He shot back, his eyes narrowing. "Besides, what could you possibly know about her condition right now? I haven't seen any of your minions lurking around -"

"Don't tell me you can't see it," Deucalion said, turning his head. "She's dying."

"You need to leave," was all Isaac could manage to say in response, his throat tightening. He didn't wait to hear the alpha's retort; Isaac shuffled past him into the room, shutting the door behind him.

His hands were shaking badly and his mind was reeling - was that really all the alpha had wanted? To _scare_ him? Isaac looked over his shoulder and found that the man was gone. Maybe it had been his imagination - maybe it was the lack of sleep mixed with caffeine. A hand touched his wrist and he jumped.

"Isaac." Cora. It was just Cora. Her face was etched with concern. "What is it?"

"You're out of bed," was all Isaac could say, his eyes flickering from the brunette to the empty hospital bed a few feet away. She was also not in her gown - but in normal clothes. If what Deucalion said was right… she shouldn't be leaving. "Going somewhere?"

Cora pulled her sweatshirt tighter around herself, folding her arms. "My brother got the doctors to let him take me out to lunch. He just left for a minute to let me change."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Isaac asked, unable to help it. She gave him a confused look.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Cora replied. "I told you - the doctors don't think there's really anything wrong with me. As far as they can tell I'm just a little sick -"

"And you have mistletoe in your system -"

"The levels of which are_ going down_." The brunette insisted. "They say I can leave as soon as the end of the week." Her brows furrowed. "Why… why aren't you happy about that?"

Isaac was silent for a long moment. He sank down in the chair next to her bed, exhaling heavily. "Deucalion was here."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know," Isaac said. "But I think he knows something about what's going on with you."

"Isaac…"

He looked up at her, his eyes dark. "You can't tell me that the fact that there was a string of murders _right after_ the alpha pack showed up is a coincidence! Maybe he has something to do with it." Isaac stood again, moving towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Cora called after him.

"I need to find him. He's not getting away with this -"

"Isaac, _stop_." The brunette was suddenly standing in his way, her hands pressed firmly against his chest. "Whatever it is you think you're going to do, don't. It's not worth it."

"It's not - Cora, you don't understand -"

"No, you don't understand. I don't need you running around getting into trouble with the alpha pack - I need you _here_."

Isaac pulled away from her. "How can you expect me to just sit around when I know that you're dying?" He didn't mean to shout, but he there was no turning back now. Cora's mouth hung open, her eyes shocked.

He tried to wrap his arms around her by way of apology, but she just stepped away, shaking her head. "Is that what he told you?"

"Yeah," Isaac said quietly, clenching his jaw.

"I think you should leave," Cora told him, her eyes not meeting his. A moment later, as he opened his mouth to respond, Derek opened the door and walked in.

One look at his face told Isaac that he had heard the whole thing. Isaac didn't protest, despite the fact that he wanted to, recalling the fact that she had pretty much told him that she needed him.

But things had changed, it seemed.

He couldn't help that he believed Deucalion more than he trusted her right now - but she wasn't getting better. The mistletoe was gradually poisoning her and they still hadn't figured out who the Darach was or what they wanted.

Things just weren't looking good. How could she blame him for losing hope?

But he kept that all to himself as he left the room, tossing his cup of cold coffee into the trashcan outside as he went.

—

When Isaac had left Cora's room, he didn't go far - he ended up the waiting room amongst crying families and anxious husbands of women who just went into labor. But he soon found that he couldn't sit still for long, so he eventually got up and took a look at what the vending machine down the hall had to offer.

He didn't have any money, so he just ended up standing there in front of the snack machine. After about a minute or two, a doctor and a nurse walked by, chatting urgently and quietly amongst themselves.

Isaac's curiosity getting the best of him, he listened in.

"I just don't understand it," said the nurse. "One minute he was sleeping soundly in his bed, then the next he's gone."

"Gone?" repeated the doctor. "As in -"

"_Disappeared_. He didn't have any visitors at all during his stay, and we couldn't find anyone to call when he was admitted so it doesn't appear as though he has a family, either. You don't think he could have just… gotten up and walked out, do you?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Isaac saw the doctor shaking his head. He also recognized the nurse as Scott's mom. "You saw the state he was in when he was brought in. He had a severe fever and was vomiting every twenty minutes."

Scott's mom sighed. "Well the police are on their way."

Before she could notice him standing a few feet away, Isaac turned and quickly walked back to the waiting room, their conversation repeating in his head. That kid… that was the same one that Cora had been talking about. It had to be, since he didn't recall anyone else having the same symptoms that she'd had.

But if he had disappeared, it was only a matter of time until he was found - or at least his body.

The second the idea appeared in his mind, he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. Isaac pulled it out and picked up on the third ring. "Derek?"

_"Get to the loft now."_

Isaac's brows pulled together and he stopped walking. "Why?" He asked, his voice careful. "What happened?"

_"It's Cora. She's gone."_


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So this is the last chapter *creys* I just wanted to thank all of the lovely people who read and the even more wonderful people who reviewed this story! I'm proud to say that this is the first fic I've completed in a really long time. So thanks again for reading! There might be a little epilogue because you guys (and ALL the Cora/Isaac shippers!) are so perfect 3**

* * *

**Chapter Six - Fire**

He didn't know what he had expected - maybe just him and Derek and Scott looking for her, but not an entire _search party_. In all, it was Isaac, Derek, his uncle Peter, Stiles, Scott, Allison and a less-enthusiastic Lydia.

But it was better than nothing.

They clearly needed all the help they could get, because they had no leads and no idea where she could've gone. All they knew for sure was that it most likely had to do with the Darach, which meant they didn't have a lot of time to waste.

—

When she woke up, Cora felt dizzy - and had no idea where she was at all. Cora blinked a few times, suddenly feeling a sharp pain in her head from where someone had hit her and knocked her unconscious. As she looked around, her heart beat quickened - it was like deja vu - only she wasn't so sure she'd be rescued this time.

And this time, her hands were bound at the wrists by thick rope that dug painfully into her skin.

She tried to pull her hands free, but she felt weaker than she had been back at the hospital a few hours earlier. She coughed then, squinting in the darkness in search of an escape route or sign of life.

But she was all alone.

—

"These are all of the places where bodies have been found so far," Scott was explaining, pointing to the circles on the map of Beacon Hills that was spread out on Derek's kitchen table.

Isaac had been staring at the map for a long time, taking everything in. But something didn't make sense. "There have only been six sacrifices… but there's more circles than that on the map," He explained. "Where did you get this again?"

When no one answered him, Isaac looked up, his blue eyes shifting from Stiles to Scott. They had already been over this information, and had been sitting on it for quite some time it seemed. Which made Isaac even more suspicious that they weren't telling them everything.

And if they were going to find Cora, he needed to know _everything_.

"My dad."

Isaac's eyes fell on Allison, who had finally spoken up. She'd been pretty quiet since she'd gotten there, talking only to Lydia in low whispers off to the side. His eyebrows pulled together and she continued. "I don't know how he did it, but he's figured something out. A pattern, maybe. But it's been accurate before."

"With Deaton," Scott added.

"But how would he know where the next sacrifices would be occurring? Or where the next bodies would be found?" Derek inquired, folding his arms.

Something in Peter clicked. "Isn't it obvious?"

Isaac's expression darkened and his hands clenched into fists at his sides. Without waiting for further explanation, he moved around the table, heading for the door. Allison caught his arm, trying to stop him.

"_Isaac!_ Isaac, wait - you don't even know the whole story -"

"There's no time for the whole story," he shot back, spinning around to face her. "We have no leads. As far as I can tell, your dad is the prime suspect."

"You don't understand -"

"No, _you_ don't. Cora is _missing_, Allison! MISSING -"

"And _this is my father_!"

Isaac's mouth snapped shut, and he clenched his jaw, staring at her. They were both red in the face and the tension in the room was palpable. It looked like she was going to cry - she knew what all this looked like, and knew that things wouldn't end well for her dad - but Allison didn't dare break down in front of all of them.

Especially not him.

"Do you even have a plan?" It was Derek who spoke this time, amongst the others across the room. They were all watching them, but none of them made a move to break up their fight. "I mean, what is going after Chris Argent supposed to do for Cora? We need to find _her_ first."

The fact that Derek didn't seem all that against going after Allison's dad later was not lost on her, but the huntress kept her mouth shut this time.

Isaac slowly turned to face the others, the idea of ripping Chris Argent to shreds still lingering at the back of his mind. But Derek was his alpha, so he had to obey. "Well then where do you suggest we start looking?"

"We've narrowed it down to three possible places," Scott explained. "We should split up - we'll cover more ground that way."

"What if none of us finds her?" Lydia inquired, her eyebrows raising.

Derek didn't look at her as he moved around the table, his eyes instead focused on Isaac. "We'll find her," he said, before addressing the entire room. "Now let's go. She doesn't have a lot of time."

—

She hated this.

She hated sitting here in the dark, hated feeling vulnerable, hated not knowing if or when she was going to die. Blood trickled down her face from the wound in her temple, reminding her that her werewolf abilities were still out of whack. Cora shut her eyes and hit her head against the pole behind her, cursing under her breath.

Whoever this Dark Druid was, it definitely knew what it was doing. More so than any hunter she'd ever encountered - this thing was scarier than that. It found ways to weaken its victims before it went in for the kill.

For a second, Cora would've preferred being killed quickly by an arrow to the throat or the heart to _this_.

She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to swallow, but her mouth was dry as cotton and her throat raw. She tried to break out of her bindings once more but they still wouldn't budge, only burning painfully with every twist of her wrists. Tears sprang in her eyes but she willed herself not to cry; she had to be brave, had to think. Just because things had been okay the first time didn't mean that they couldn't be again.

They would find her.

_Isaac would find her_.

—

They pulled up to an abandoned building at the edge of town, and as Derek cut the engine Isaac climbed out of the car. But before he could get too far, he noticed that the alpha hesitated a few inches away from the car.

Isaac frowned. "What is it?"

"I know this place," Derek told him quietly, his eyebrows coming together as he started to walk again. He had a pained look on his face. "I mean… a lot happened here a long time ago. I never thought I'd come back."

"It's just an old distillery," Isaac said, not quite understanding Derek's vague explanation as they approached the decrepit building. "Besides, according to the map, this is one of the places where a body might be found. We have to check it out. What if -" he stopped himself, but they both knew what he wanted to say even when he didn't.

_What if they were too late?_

Isaac shook his head, taking a deep breath as Derek moved past him and tried the door. It was locked, a thick chain keeping it shut off from intruders. The alpha brandished his claws and his eyes flashed bright red, and in a matter of seconds, the chain fell to his feet in a useless heap. Derek pushed the door open, the old metal creaking loudly and eerily.

The inside looked exactly how Derek remembered it, except it pitch black and there was one new addition in the center of the room - a large pole, with someone tied to it, their back to the door. When Isaac's eyes fell on the person, they exchanged a look.

Without thinking twice, Isaac took a step forward, but Derek caught him by the arm, holding him back warningly. "_Look_," he breathed, gesturing toward the left and the right. There was a thick white smoke coming through the vents.

It smelled faintly of wolfs bane - and they, too, were breathing it now.

Isaac yanked his arm out of Derek's grasp and moved quickly then, his eyes trained on the dark figure before them. He circled the pole and as he started to make out who it was his heart stopped. The beta ran right up to them and took their face in his hands, trying to shake them awake.

"_Cora?_ Cora, come on - I'm here, I found you." He shook her a little harder as Derek suddenly appeared next to him. "Cora! You need to wake up. _You have to_."

"We have to get her out of here," the alpha insisted, cutting through the ropes binding her hands. She fell forward and Isaac caught her, before lifting her up in his arms and following Derek out of the old building, his eyes only on Cora, still trying to get her to wake up.

When they reached the car, Isaac laid her down in the grass, trying to shake her awake again. But she wouldn't stir, and he felt his face start getting hot.

"Isaac -"

"_No_," the younger boy said, shaking off the hand that Derek had placed on his shoulder. "No. She's going to wake up. She has to. Even if I have to sit here and wait all night."

Derek nodded stiffly, his eyes lingering on his sister's face for a long time. He'd seen death before, but this was somehow different. Derek had thought for so long that he'd lost everyone he'd ever loved, and then his sister had come back to him. But it was like getting something and then having it taken away again.

Except this time it was permanent.

This time it was real.

Whether or not she woke up again, he was already prepared to lose the only real family he had once more.

After a while, the others started showing up in their various cars. They all gathered around where Cora and Isaac were on the ground in front of Derek's car, and at this point, Isaac was pale as a sheet and shaking. He kept muttering things like 'this wasn't happening' and 'she'll be okay' but things weren't looking good for her.

"We need to get her to a hospital," Allison said, the look of horror in her eyes completely genuine now.

Isaac shook his head. "They won't be able to do anything. Whoever put her in there had been pumping wolfs bane in there for hours. If anything she probably just passed out."

"Did you try CPR?" Lydia offered. Everyone looked at her, including Isaac.

When no one responded, the redhead scoffed and hurried over to where Cora was lying on the ground, kneeling down beside her without a second thought. She performed mouth-to-mouth flawlessly, and when she was done, she sat back, her eyes trained on Cora. But she remained completely still, and for a long time they thought it hadn't worked - that _nothing_ would work.

But then suddenly Cora was coughing violently, and rolled over onto her side, vomiting into the grass just shy of Lydia's knee. She gave a squeal of disgust and jumped to her feet, moving back to where she had been standing between Stiles and Allison.

"Cora…" Isaac said, his tone relieved as she sat up slowly.

She swallowed hard and shut her eyes, taking deep breaths of the cool night air. Then she looked up at him, smiling. "Took you long enough."


	7. Epilogue

**A/N: OK. Here it is. I promised you guys a little fluffy epilogue to diffuse the angst that was this story, so here it is. Thank you all so so SO much again for reading and if you left a review, you are 5000% more wonderful and I love you. Hopefully more inspiration will come to me and I'll write more fics for this pairing soon! xx**

* * *

**Epilogue**

In one swift movement, Cora opened the door, grabbed his hand, and tugged him down the hallway to her bedroom. According to her brother's rules, it was way past visting-without-getting-killed time, but this couldn't wait.

She stepped lightly and quickly, not making a sound until the door to her room shut with a quiet click behind them. Cora stopped to listen, but she didn't hear any signs of her brother coming to bust them.

"What did you need me to come over for?" Isaac inquired, his eyebrows pulling together. "You said it was urgent, but if Derek finds out -"

"He won't find out," Cora told him, running her hands from his shoulders down to his chest. With a firm push, he fell back onto her bed, propping himself up on his elbows as she straddled him. Isaac caught on quickly, his hand behind her neck pulling her lips to his in a soft kiss.

She kissed him back, deepening it slightly as he slipped his tongue into her mouth and his hand found her lower back. His fingers moved under her t-shirt, grazing her skin and making her ache for more contact. She pulled back just long enough to tug off her shirt, tossing it carelessly to the side, her gaze steady with his.

"I never got a chance to thank you for saving my life," Cora explained quietly, reaching around to unhook her bra. "And just… not giving up hope in general."

"Cora…" Isaac wanted to remind her that it was really Lydia who had saved her life by performing CPR, but once the bra fell away he was completely at a loss for words. He sat up just enough to allow her to remove his pullover, and then his mouth was on her neck, shoulder, collarbone - anything and everything in sight. The brunette moaned when his lips latched on to her nipple, his tongue tracing around it, making her feel the sensation all the way in her core.

Her fingers carded through his curls as he moved to the other breast, and she wondered for a moment why they hadn't done this sooner. It wasn't like they _hadn't_ liked each other before the Darach had thrown them all for a loop, but things definitely felt different now.

Some nights she couldn't even sleep without him next to her, his long fingers running through her hair. They were connected now. All of this was the least she could do to repay him for everything that he'd done for her. With a tug at his hair, she pulled his mouth back up to hers and kissed him hard, pressing her body against his.

For the most part, they managed to be quiet - although they both knew that even the quietest sounds were loud enough to be heard by the ears of a werewolf. But luckily they weren't interrupted.

Cora rested her head against Isaac's chest, focusing on the rise and fall of it with each breath as she idly played with his fingers. "You're kind of amazing, you know that?" He said softly after a long moment of silence."

"You're not just saying that because I let you have sex with me, are you?" The brunette asked, barking out a laugh as she tilted her head to look up at him.

"Well, I mean…" Isaac trailed off jokingly, laughing and shaking his head when she threw him a lethal glare. "No, of course not. I just… I should've listened to you when you told me that you'd be alright. I shouldn't have listened to anyone but you."

Cora sighed, pushing herself up onto her elbows next to him. She ran her hands over her face and through her hair. "You were under a lot of stress. It's -"

"Don't say it's okay, because it's not." The beta pressed his lips together, and he reached forward to cup her face, his thumb running across her cheek. "You needed me and I wasn't there for you."

"You can't live in regret, Isaac. It's all over now. I'm alright, the Darach has moved on, we're together, my brother hasn't killed you yet." Cora quirked a brow at the last part, smirking a little and leaning upward to press a kiss to his lips. "That should be enough."

Isaac exhaled deeply, leaning his head back against the headboard of her bed. "You're right," he said finally, managing a small smile as he looked at her.

Cora grinned, resting her head against his chest again. "I'm always right," she pointed out. "You should know that by now."


End file.
